Italian school; XVII century. "Madonna and Child with St. John Child", Gilded bronze.

About Auction

Live

OLD MASTERS

By Setdart Auction House

Oct 20, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-10-20 07:30:00 2021-10-20 07:30:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : OLD MASTERS https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/setdart-auction-house/old-masters-7700
Setdart Auction House sofia@setdart.com

View Full Catalog (168)

• Lot Description
  Italian school; XVII century. "Madonna and Child with St. John Child", Gilded bronze. Measures: 22 x 16 cm (plate); 26,5 x 21,2 cm (support). In this work made in relief the author has captured the figure of the Virgin with the Child, which is arranged on his mother's lap, while showing a fruit to his cousin San Juanito. St. John is presented with his back to the viewer, who can only appreciate the torso of the saint, as it is cut off by the format of the piece. The characters are framed between some trees that delimit the outer perimeter, leaving a wide space in the center of the scene. The representation follows the classical models, which established this iconography in which the Virgin is seen half-length, holding the Child and San Juanito, next to them. This compositional tradition had its origins in the Italian Renaissance, continuing throughout the Cinquecento; both in painting, sculpture and reliefs either in marble, bronze or terracotta. It is a geometric composition, in the classical style of the Italian Renaissance, with grandiose and powerful figures, in which there is a concern for anatomy, with monumental bodies in relation to the head. The figures are represented with the beauty, proportions and sweetness typical of the Renaissance, the treatment of the folds of great delicacy with different depths to create pictorial shadows; abundant and wavy hair with movement. Due to the dimensions of the piece, it is probable that it was conceived for private devotion. It is worked with the "schiacciato" technique, a sculptural relief modeling system used by the Romans and perfected in the 15th century by Donatello, which consists of proportionally reducing the bulk of the relief according to the depth to be represented. This sculptural technique makes it possible to create a bas-relief with a minimal variation (sometimes referred to as millimeters) with respect to the background. To give the viewer the illusion of depth, the gradual decrease in the depth of the thickness is complemented by the rigorous application of the laws of perspective, which enhances the visual effect.
• Shipping Info

  • In-house shipping available. Please inquire at admin@setdart.com.

• Buyer's Premium
  • 22.00 %